Fresh and local veggies, meat, bread, cheese, eggs, tofu, and more, all delivered to your doorstep? May just sound like an enviro’s or foodie’s wet dream, but for me it has become a reality.

About 2 months ago KFB and I decided we wanted to join some sort of a farm share. Unfortunately for us, it was beginning to look a lot like winter and winter months don’t usually mean good things for local farm shares. That is until a friend of KFB’s recommended us to Arganica Farm Club. Upon checking them out, we were blown away at what they had to offer. Instead of just paying your fee and picking up whatever they have to offer, like most farm shares, Arganica lets you order whatever whatever you want from their weekly menu, and delivers it directly to your house. They have a range of seasonal and greenhouse veggies from several different local farms that you can order by the pound, or you can or the “weekly choice” box of their picks for that week. So far we have stuck to the weekly choice, as it is a great way to discover new vegetables you’ve never cooked with (or maybe even hear of) before. Plus it is hands down the best deal. On top of that we have ordered a few types of cheeses, breads, and homemade vegetarian sausages. Each week our order has increased, as we have been pleased with nearly every choice.

The process is not just fun, but rewarding. Our googling skills have improved (‘small green tomato like fruit with paper like husk’), and it is a unique feeling to know that the entire meal you just ate came from less than 100 miles away. I have suddenly found myself a stranger where I was once a regular, the Columbia Heights Giant. When I do make my way in the food superstore, I usually leave having purchased little more than pasta, rice, beans, and a few other basic essentials (TP, Cereal, Coffee and Beer).

In a time when the average plate of food has traveled thousands of miles just to feed you, it is important to think about what that food is doing to the environment, global trade, and your health. Buying local and organic, whether at the farmers market, a farm club, or a grocery store, gives the consumer the oppertunity to get behind what you are eating. To know what is in your food is to know what is in your body, and there are a lot of things in the food I have eaten throughout my life (and still sometimes today) I wouldn’t even want near my house, let alone my body.